Irish Adventure Tourism Conference to Take Place in Munster Vales

Ireland’s Association for Adventure Tourism (IAAT) has announced that they will host their 2019 conference on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st November in Charleville, Co. Cork. This year's event is with the support of Official Event Partner Cork County Council, and in conjunction with Munster Vales and Ballyhoura Development.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural conference, this year’s conference will continue to focus on presenting an industry led programme for 2019, with an emphasis on industry insights, networking and the sharing of ideas in the beautiful surrounds of the Munster Vales.

Day 1 of the conference will offer delegates the opportunity to experience the Ballyhoura Country experience within Munster Vales via a range of activities in the region. They will have the choice of an Adventure Option or a Leisure Option trip. The adventure option will include mountain biking at the Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trails, lunch at Longueville House and activities at Ballyhass Lakes. The leisure option will include visits to Lough Gur Heritage Centre and recently re-opened Doneraile Court and Park, with lunch at Cafe Townhouse in Doneraile. Following dinner that evening, a networking event will be held at the hotel, giving delegates the opportunity to learn about local producers, businesses and attractions.

Day 2 will then comprise of a series of key industry insights on key topics such as Brexit, Insurance, Sustainability and Marketing through talks, panel discussions and breakout workshop sessions. The keynote speech will be delivered by Mike O’Shea - Adventurer, Businessman and Consultant. Mike has recently successfully completed crossings of the Southern Ice Cap on Kilimanjaro, North Patagonian Icecap and also walked the complete length of frozen Lake Baikal, the world’s largest lake. He has also worked on Star Wars, Mission Impossible and the new James Bond movie. Other speakers will include Paul Kelly from Fáilte Ireland and Eoghan O’Mara Walsh from ITIC with more to be announced shortly.

Cllr. Christopher O’Sullivan, Mayor of County Cork added:

“Cork County Council is proud to be the Official Event Partner and Main Sponsor of the Conference. Adventure Tourism is estimated to be valued at €1.2 billion and is one of the fastest growing and most exciting sectors within the Irish tourism industry. North Cork has a strong outdoor activity offering right in the heart of Munster Vales – a tourism destination linking the counties of Cork, Waterford, Tipperary & Limerick. It is an ideal location to host the event, providing a unique platform to showcase Munster Vales to a very focused audience of adventure professionals. I heartily encourage those travelling to Charleville for the conference to take advantage of the day 1 option fam visits and really immerse themselves with the adventure and beauty of Munster Vales.”

IAAT Chairman Rob Rankin commented:

“We are delighted to bring this year’s conference to Munster Vales in County Cork. This is our second year holding the Conference and, on the back of the success of our inaugural event in Mullingar last December, we look forward to delivering another two days of genuine benefit to all delegates attending. If you are involved in Adventure/Activity tourism in any capacity, we strongly recommend coming along.”

Fiona Monaghan, Head of Activities at Fáilte Ireland, said:

“Our vision is for Ireland to be recognised internationally as a world-class, year-round activity destination. Activity tourism can make a significant contribution to Ireland’s economic and social development and also help spread tourism to every region. We look forward to the Ireland’s Association for Adventure Tourism’s conference and working with activity providers to secure continued growth in adventure tourism.”

Supported by Fáilte Ireland, Ireland’s Association for Adventure Tourism is an independent representative association for the adventure tourism sector on the island of Ireland and the IAAT aims to work with adventure tourism operators to develop the sector in a sustainable and responsible manner.

A limited number of Early Bird tickets for the Conference are now on sale for €99 at www.iaat.ie/conference. IAAT Members can purchase tickets for €80. The Charleville Park Hotel also have a discounted accommodation rate for delegates attending.